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Aegon's Failed Conquest
Aegon's Failed Conquest is the name given to the attempted invasion and establishment of the Kingdom of Westeros by Aegon Targaryen and his sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya. Together with his sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys, and their dragons, Vhagar and Meraxes, Aegon failed to subdue the Kingdoms, successfully resisted by all. While some houses actively supported House Targaryen, none were large enough to give Aegon a step up infantry wise. Aegon's campaign lasted one year, and ended the day Aegon alone flew across the Narrow Sea. The date of Aegon's fleeing after the failure that was his invasion has been used by maesters to track years before and after the invasion, or, AA. Precursor Lord Aenar Targaryen had moved his family to Dragonstone, the westernmost outpost of the Valyrian Freehold, twelve years before the Doom destroyed Valyria. During the Century of Blood, multiple factions struggled for power in Essos. Towards the end of the Century of Blood, the young Lord Aegon Targaryen, rider of the dragon Balerion, was approached by the Free Cities of Pentos and Tyrosh to form an alliance. Aegon aided the alliance in defeating the Volantene fleet, after which he returned to Dragonstone. With the struggles for power in the east to an end, Aegon instead turned his attention to the west, to the lands that had always interested him. Some believe that Aegon had never visited Westeros before his invasion, but there are reports of him having visited the Arbor and the Citadel and possibly Lannisport. Years before the Conquest he had ordered the construction of the Painted Table, a table at Dragonstone cut into an accurate geographical map of Westeros. Harren Hoare, the King of the Isles and the Rivers, was nearing completion of his vast castle, Harrenhal, and was said to be looking for more conquests. Argilac had grown afraid of Harren and so proposed an alliance with Aegon to create a buffer zone between him and Harren. He offered the hand of his daughter, Argella, in marriage as well as dowry lands, though much of the lands were in the possession of Harren the Black. Aegon refused and instead offered the hand of his best friend and rumored bastard brother, Orys Baratheon. Argilac took this as a grave insult and had the hands of the envoy cut off. He sent them to Aegon with the message "These are the only hands you will receive". Aegon called his banners and took counsel with them and his sisters, after which he sent ravens to the rulers in the Seven Kingdoms. He informed them that he would be the only king in Westeros and that those who bent the knee would keep their lands and titles, while those that did not he would destroy. He apparently considered all of Westeros as one land, despite the fact that the continent was long split into Seven Kingdoms, and was determined to unify it under his rule. Meria Martell, Princess of Dorne, replied she would be Aegon's ally against the Storm King Argilac, but would not yield; Aegon rejected her offer. The Lord of Dragonstone also rejected Sharra Arryn, the Queen Regent of the Vale, who desired the eastern bank of the Green Fork from Harren, since Sharra offered Aegon an alliance and not submission. The Invasion The war began in 1 BA when Aegon Targaryen and his two sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, landed with fewer than 1,600 men at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush next to three hills. Upon the highest hill, Aegon started construction of the Aegonfort, a wooden motte and bailey fort as his first claim to the mainland of Westeros. The Targaryens were supported by Houses Celtigar, Massey, and Velaryon. House Rosby yielded Rosby to Rhaenys, while House Stokeworth surrendered to Visenya after Vhagar used dragonfire on the roof of Stokeworth. Aegon's first test came from Lord Darklyn of Duskendale and Lord Mooton of Maidenpool, who joined their power and marched south with three thousand men. Aegon sent Orys Baratheon, his bastard half-brother who he had illegally legitimized prior to his invasion, to meet them on the march, whilst he descended on them from above with Balerion. After both lords were slain, Darklyn's son and Mooton's brother, Jon Mooton, yielded their castles and swore their swords to House Targaryen. Queen Visenya placed a Valyrian steel circlet, studded with rubies, on her brother's head and Queen Rhaenys hailed him as "Aegon, First of His Name, King of Westeros, and Shield of His People." The Battle of Gulltown and a Sistermen Rebellion Aegon sent his fleet commanded by Daemon Velaryon to take Gulltown with Visenya and Vhagar. A hastily assembled Arryn fleet, augmented by a dozen Braavosi warships, met and defeated the Targaryen fleet in a battle in the waters off Gulltown. Among the dead was Aegon's admiral, Daemon. Visenya descended on the Arryn fleet and burned their ships. Rebellion broke out on the Three Sisters, when the Sistermen renounced their allegiance to House Arryn of the Eyrie and declared their queen to be Lady Marla Sunderland. The Burning of Harrenhal and Unification of the Trident Once power was consolidated in what he dubbed ‘the Crownlands’, Aegon marched northwest to the Gods Eye and Harrenhal. House Hoare had ruled the Iron Islands and the riverlands as the Kings of the Isles and the Rivers for three generations. King Harren Hoare, also known as Harren the Black, had devoted most of his reign, nearly forty years, to the construction of Harrenhal, which would be the largest castle in Westeros, on the northern shore of the Gods Eye. Thousands had died while building the castle, and the riverlands had been depleted in terms of materials. On the day the new castle was finally completed, however, Aegon Targaryen landed at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush, to start his Conquest. Supported by many great ironborn lords and warriors, Black Harren raised his banners. His men fought Aegon's host in the Battle of the Reeds, which was a Targaryen victory, albeit with heavy losses, and the Wailing Willows, in which House Hoare was victorious. However, in the meantime, after years of plundering and beggaring the riverlands, Harren the Black had to face the consequences of those actions. Lord Edmyn Tully of Riverrun, the most powerful of the riverlords, following Harren's harsh treatment of House Bracken and House Blackwood, refused to support Harren and instead joined the Targaryens. Following the Tully's example, numerous other riverlords, including the Blackwoods, Mallisters, Vances, Brackens, Pipers, Freys, and Strongs, rebelled against Harren's ironmen and marched to surround Harrenhal. Outnumbered, Harren closed the gates of well-stocked Harrenhal in response. Suddenly outnumbered, King Harren the Black took refuge in his supposedly impregnable stronghold. Aegon met Harren at the gates, under a peace banner to parley. The Burning of Harrenhal Harrenhal's walls were too high and too thick, and well-stocked enough to withstand a siege. During a parley outside the castle, Aegon offered to confirm Harren as Lord of the Iron Islands, provided he would yield. Harren refused, trusting in the strength of his castle, confident that the stone would not burn. Aegon warned him that the line of House Hoare would come to an end that night, at which Harren returned to his castle. To his men, he promised riches and the daughters of the riverlords to anyone who could slay Aegon's dragon, Balerion, in the upcoming battle. When the sun had gone down, Aegon flew Balerion high above Harrenhal, before plunging down upon Harrenhal, burning the castle beneath him. All that was flammable, both supplies and ironmen, caught fire within the castle, while Harrenhal's stone towers cracked and melted. The rivermen outside observed that the towers glowed and melted like candles. Harren and his sons died in the largest of the towers of Harrenhal, which would later give the tower its name: Kingspyre Tower. With their deaths, House Hoare was extinguished. Unification of the Trident Once Harrenhal cooled, the ruined swords of the ironmen were taken to the Aegonfort. What was to be done with the swords is still unknown. Many speculate that Aegon meant to make a throne of all his conquered subjects blades. Others say he meant to make an island of iron in the Blackwater Bay. All we know today is that a throne made of melted and twisted swords sits in the fort that House Qoherys now calls home at Aegonsfort, the same fort that Aegon crafted when he landed. Only a few of Harren's supporters survived the burning or the uprising of the rivermen to make it back to the Iron Islands. The day following the burning of Harrenhal, Lord Edmyn Tully swore fealty to Aegon, who accepted and named him Lord Paramount of the Trident, as he had been the first riverlord to support him. Aegon next accepted oaths of fealty from the other riverlords. Aegon also granted partially-ruined Harrenhal to Quenton Qoherys, who had been his master-at-arms at Dragonstone. It is said by some that Harrenhal's Wailing Tower is occupied by the ghosts of Harren and his sons. Conquest of the Stormlands In a clumsy attempt to use House Targaryen of Dragonstone as shield against the threat of Harren Hoare, the King of the Isles and the Rivers, Argilac Durrandon, the Storm King of the stormlands, offered Lord Aegon the hand of his maiden daughter, Argella, with a dowry of lands currently belonging to House Hoare. Aegon refused and instead made his own offer, to be sealed with the marriage of Argella to Orys Baratheon, Lord Aegon's childhood friend and champion, who was also rumored to be Aegon's bastard half-brother. Enraged, Argilac had the hands of Aegon's envoy cut off and sent them to Aegon with the message “These are the only hands your bastard shall have of me.” This sparked Aegon's intentions to conquer Westeros and unify the Seven Kingdoms under his rule. Aegon, as mentioned earlier, landed at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush and was crowned by one of his sister-wives, Visenya. He then received the allegiance of the riverlands by slaying King Harren Hoare through the burning of Harrenhal. Meanwhile, he sent Orys alongside his other sister-wife, Rhaenys, atop of her dragon Meraxes, to conquer the stormlands. Argilac refused to die in the same manner as Harren and called his banners to Storm's End to meet Orys' host. While the Storm King Argilac Durrandon gathered his bannermen to Storm's End, pirates from the Stepstones raided Cape Wrath and Dornishmen from the Red Mountains attacked the Dornish Marches. Lords Errol, Fell and Buckler, bannermen of Argilac the Arrogant, surprised the advance elements of Orys' host as they were crossing the Wendwater, cutting down more than a thousand men before retreating back into the trees. Rhaenys unleashed Meraxes and set the forest ablaze, killing Lord Errol. Word of King Harren's end having reached Storm's End, Argilac rode north to meet his foes in the field. After being advised through Rhaenys' reconnaissance, Orys fortified a strong position on the hills south of Bronzegate and waited for Argilac's stormlanders. The Last Storm Atop Meraxes, Rhaenys scouted Argilac's movements and Orys fortified a strong defensive position in the hills south of Bronzegate. As the two armies closed on each other, a massive storm, that would give a name to the battle, broke out. Argilac, knowing he had almost twice as many men as the Targaryens and four times as many knights and heavy horse, decided to press the attack. In what became known as the Last Storm, Argilac attacked the Baratheon and Targaryen forces. Three charges by Argilac's horsemen were slowed by the mud, although his spearmen had greater success on foot and the Durrandon host conquered two hills. Argilac broke through during the third charge, but encountered Rhaenys atop Meraxes, who slew Dickon Morrigen, the Bastard of Blackhaven, and Argilac' guard. In the confusion, Argilac was thrown from his horse and found himself face to face with Orys Baratheon. Both took a wound but soon Argilac would get his wish and would die fighting. His death ended the battle, as the stormlanders yielded or fled. The Aftermath After her father's death, Princess Argella Durrandon barred Storm's End and declared herself Storm Queen. Her garrison, however, feared to share the fate of Harren and revolted against Argella after a few days, delivering her to Orys, chained and naked. Orys, still in pain from his battle wound, treated her harshly. The chains remained tight, and her naked body uncovered. For days she went without food until she came crawling to Orys, begging for mercy. In exchange for mercy, Orys would take her hand in marriage, becoming Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. He stole the sigil and words of House Durrandon for his own family, House Baratheon. The harsh treatment of Argella, however, would not be soon forgotten… Submission of the Vale Fresh off two victories, Aegon sent his sister Visenya to the Vale to seek House Arryn’s fealty while Rhaenys was sent to Dorne. His reasoning for doing so was to ensure there was enough men in his army to take on both the Westerlands and the Reach, as there were rumors that both Kings, previously rivals, had planned to meet. Aegon was a smart man, and he knew this could only mean one thing; an alliance. Sharra Arryn, Queen Regent of the Vale, strengthened the defenses at Gulltown, moved a host to the Bloody Gate, and tripled the garrisons at the way-castles which guard the Eyrie. Sharra made Aegon an offer of marriage and alliance if he named as his heir her son, Ronnel Arryn, the young King of Mountain and Vale, but was refused. Despite Aegon's refusal, House Arryn felt secure in the Vale. Visenya Targaryen, however, flew Vhagar to the Eyrie's inner courtyard, and Sharra found sitting on the knee of Aegon's queen her son Ronnel, who asked to fly on the dragon. After flying three times around the Giant's Lance on Vhagar, Ronnel became Lord of the Eyrie and Aegon's Warden of the East. All seemed to be coming together nicely. With three Kingdoms bent, Aegon felt confident the rest would fall in line. This confidence, however, would prove to be his downfall. Rhaenys' Demise Once Storm’s End was under Targaryen control, Queen Rhaenys flew south to Dorne. Rather than confront the Dornish spearmen guarding the Prince's Pass in the Red Mountains, Rhaenys Targaryen flew above the pass on Meraxes to Vaith and Godsgrace, but found the castles abandoned. When Rhaenys reached the Planky Town, she found only women and children. At Sunspear, seat of House Martell, she found Meria Martell, the aged Princess of Dorne, waiting in her abandoned castle. Princess Meria Martell greeted her in the halls of Sunspear, giving her safe passage and a chance to speak. While discussion was not fruitful and nothing came of their talk, the true disaster happened when Rhaenys was about to leave. Meria’s son and heir apparent, Quentyn, did not trust his mother’s decision to greet the Targaryen in peace, and was paranoid that dragonfire would burn down Dorne if he did not act. As Rhaenys strode down the halls to the courtyard where her dragon resided, assassins with poisoned daggers leapt out and slew her quickly. The last thing Rhaenys Targaryen ever save was the sneer on Quentyn Martell’s face. When his assassins tried to slay Meraxes, the dragon flew into a berserk rage, smelling the blood of her master on their blades. The dragon went on a terrible rampage, destroying much of Sunspear and almost the entirety of Plankytown before it was eventually shot down. Much of House Martell had been slain in the rampage, and the stability of Dorne went along with it. The Field of Valor The Great Alliance While Aegon and his sisters gain more and more power, conquering more and more peoples, King Loren I Lannister and King Mern IX Gardener made common cause and assembled their people into what is now known as the Great Alliance. At Goldengrove, the two Kings met, signing a pact of non-aggression and promising to forgo their old rivalries to push the usurper out of Westeros. Together, King Loren and King Mern commanded the largest army Westeros had ever seen: fifty-five thousand strong with at least five thousand knights. Soon after the pact was signed, the two Kings marched north to meet Aegon in battle. The Field of Valor After the submissions of Harrenhal, Crackclaw Point, the Vale, and Storm's End, Aegon and his sister Visenya gathered at Stoney Sept with their dragons. There they received word of Rhaenys’ death in Dorne. This would sent Aegon into a spiraling pit of depression, his men reportedly hearing a great wail coming from the tent when the rider arrived. It is said that this news is what led to his armies loss in the battle. Most of House Targaryen's soldiers were conscripts from the recently-liberated riverlands. Lord Jon Mooton of Maidenpool, one of the first lords to come over to the Targaryens, was given command of the Targaryen army. Between King Loren and King Mern, they had roughly 55,000 men, roughly five times as many as the Targaryens, including 5,000 mounted knights. Having brought half as many more men to the battle than King Loren, King Mern commanded the center and his son, Prince Edmund, led the vanguard. Loren led the right wing while Lord Oakheart had the left. Lord Manfred Hightower, the Lord of the Hightower, heeded the advice of the High Septon and did not join his liege lord, King Mern, on the march and instead kept his forces back at Oldtown. The two armies met in the plains south of the Blackwater, near the present Goldroad. While the Two Kings hoped to flank Aegon and then smash Aegon's center with knights, the Targaryens established themselves in a defensive crescent. The allies' charge began to break the Targaryen spear lines, but Aegon and his sister took to the air on their dragons, Balerion, and Vhagar. Unbeknownst to Aegon and Visenya, the King’s had took grand precautions while the Targaryens licked their wounds from the conquest of the Stormlands and forced the Vale into submission. Dozens of ballistae were revealed from what Aegon thought were supply carts from above. As he and his sister dove to set the carts aflame, bolts were released, piercing through the sky at incredible speeds. Aegon was able to maneuver Balerion out of the way, but Visenya was not so lucky. Vhagar roared a great roar, his stomach had been pierced by a bolt. Who fired the bolt, to this day, remains a mystery. However, Vhagar nevertheless plunged into the earth, crushing five ballistae and a dozen men who were unlucky enough to be caught under it. With the body of Visenya laying crumpled and broken feet away from Vhagar, King Mern rode over and plunged his sword deep into the belly of the dying dragon, sealing the fate of yet another Targaryen beast. Aegon witnessed the entire event from above. Angered and full of grief at the loss of his other sister and wife, he plunged straight towards King Mern and his men. It is said that he screamed the command, the scream piercing the sounds of the battlefield, louder than the storm of swords below. Dragonfire rained down on King Mern and his men, including the body of Visenya and Vhagar. Balerion hovered above the area, raining black fire down upon the men for what seemed like an eternity before Aegon flew off, never to be seen in the south again. His men that did not retreat surrendered quickly once they saw their King flying north. A Failed Conquest The Stormlands After the disastrous showing on the Field of Valor, Orys Baratheon found himself fleeing from the field for his life. His armies were shattered, and his power was spent. A week after the battle, he arrived back in Storm’s End to regroup and plan a strategy to fight back. But it was not to be. The very same night that he arrived back in the castle, Argella Durrandon snuck into her new husband’s chambers and slit his throat. Her father was avenged, and her honor was regained. Come the morning, every single knight that had stripped her naked and paraded her in front of Orys was stripped themselves and hung from the walls to slowly chill to death. With the death of Orys and the extinction of House Baratheon, Argella immediately marries Ser Boros Cole, a knight that remained loyal to her throughout all her troubles. With the matrilineal marriage, House Durrandon would be saved. The Vale When the Queen Regent, Sharra Arryn, heard of Visenya’s demise at the Field of Valor, she promptly declared bloodless rebellion against her new overlords, and had a new Falcon Crown forged for her son. The Falcon King of the Mountain and Vale was once again the master of his own lands. The North's Nail in the Coffin King Torrhen ‘Dragonsbane’, while Aegon had his eyes south, marched his massive army south of the Neck, and caught Aegon’s fleeing troops unawares. The rest of Aegon’s army was shattered and when Balerion’s side was pierced by a damaging weirwood arrow fired from the ranks of the Northmen’s archers. The Targaryen had to flee from the field in shame. As his armies collapsed and rebellion from his vassals was imminent, Aegon announced that he would fly his dragon to Valyria, and see what he could find to establish his kingdom anew. A year from the day he set foot on the shores of Westeros, he mounted a wounded Balerion and flew off into the sky, never to be seen again. The Iron Islands Left without a King after Aegon Targaryen and his dragon melted Harrenhal, the Ironborn attempted, and failed to elect a king in their kingsmoot, leading to a protracted and bloody civil war. Dorne Chaos would not leave Dorne untouched, as they fell into a civil war not too long after Aegon fled the continent. This civil war would last nearly fifteen years and would end only once Dorne split into three: The Principality of Dorne led by House Martell, the Kingdom of the Greenbelt led by House Yronwood, and the Kingdom of the Torrentine led by House Dayne. The Crownlands The region that Aegon dubbed the Crownlands would fall into chaos, following suit with the rest of the continent, after Aegon fled. The war that is now known as the War for Aegon's Legacy saw the Lords of the Claw and the Lords of the Blackwater fight amongst and against each other. The war would result in the formation of the Kingdom of the Claw led by House Celtigar, and the Kingdom of the Dusklands led by House Darklyn, as well as the plague known as Greyscale being released upon Dragonstone, dooming the island to eternal damnation. Category:War Category:Battles Category:Westeros